“Thou Knowest That I Believe”: Invoking The Spirit of the Lord as Council...
Abstract: The Book of Mormon features an esoteric exchange between the prophet Nephi and the Spirit of the Lord on an exceedingly high mountain. The following essay explores some of the ways in which...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: Preliminary: Nephi as Author - Brant...
As I was reading Karel Van der Toorn, Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible ((Karel Van der Toorn, Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge and London: Harvard...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 1 - Brant A. Gardner
The Book of Nephi An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 2 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 2:1-2 There is no original chapter break at this point, though there is a clear shift in the narration. Nephi apparently saw the insertion of his editorial comment in 1 Nephi 1:20 (second...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 3 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 3:1 1 Nephi 2:15 indicates “and my father dwelt in a tent.” That simple sentence has no specific meaning in the narrative, but is simply used as a division marker. In this case, the “the tent...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 4 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 1:1-4 After a previous failure, Nephi has to convince Laman and Lemuel to allow him one more opportunity. Nephi sets up this attempt not only with the historical recounting of failure, but...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 5 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 5:1 Nephi shifts the scene from outside Jerusalem’s walls to in the wilderness near his father’s tent. There is no chapter break between our 1 Ne. 4:38 and this first verse in chapter 5, so...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 6 - Brant A. Gardner
Our chapter six begins the original chapter II, covering our chapters 6-9. Thus this chapter both begins and ends with references to the plates on which Nephi is writing. 1 Nephi 6: 1-2 The first two...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 7 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 7:1 This verse should follow immediately after our 1 Ne. 6:6, without the chapter break which was added later. With this verse, Nephi moves back to historical time after the brief break from...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 8 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 8:1 This is a fascinating insertion of a mundane event in between a prophetically required return to Jerusalem and the next prophetic event. Nephi will begin his discussion of the vision of the...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 9 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 9:1 The Book of Mormon writers have a different sensibility to ending chapters than modern readers do. They often finish their chapters in places where we would expect that the major shift in...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 10 - Brant A. Gardner
The 1830 chapter III included our chapters 10-14 1 Nephi 10:1 1 And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 11 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 11:1 1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in … Continue...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 12 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 12:1-5 1 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes …...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 13 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 13:1-3 1 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms. 2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I …...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 14 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 14:1-6 1 And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, …...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 15 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 15:1-3 1 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that … Continue...
View ArticleNephi the Good: A Commentary on 1 Nephi 1:1–3 - Neal Rappleye
The most often read passage in the Book of Mormon is almost certainly its very first verse—what Latter-day Saint is not familiar with the opening line, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents”?...
View ArticleMusings on the Making of Mormon’s Book: 1 Nephi 16 - Brant A. Gardner
1 Nephi 16:1-6 1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able …...
View ArticleAnother Suggestion for Reading 1 Nephi 1: 1-3 - Brant A. Gardner
1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been...
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